"He will miss the Gold Cup" - Galopin Des Champs ruled out of the season

Jon Vine

Editor

Last updated: Sat 07 Mar 2026 10:41

Jon Vine 07 Mar 2026

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Galopin Des Champs out of Cheltenham due to injury
Gaelic Warrior now leads 2026 Gold Cup betting
Impact on race strategy for Fact To File & others

Paul Townend riding Galopin Des Champs win The Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase. (Getty)

Willie Mullins' Cheltenham Festival squad took a hit on Friday, when his two-time Gold Cup winner was ruled out of the meeting.

Victories in 2023 and '24 saw Galopin Des Champs enter the ranks of the Cheltenham Gold Cup greats. Willie Mullins' star came up short on his shot at immortality 12 months ago, when Gavin Cromwell's Inothewayurthinkin beat the hat-trick-seeking favourite.

An early-season setback meant that Galopin Des Champs didn't reappear this season until Christmas. Mullins' ten-year-old finished third behind Affordale Fury in the Savills Chase, and repeated that placing as stablemate Fact To File stormed to victory in the Irish Gold Cup last month.

The vibes coming out of Closutton had seemed strong about Galopin Des Champs chances of winning a third Gold Cup. Ruby Walsh said on a preview panel that the three-time Cheltenham Festival winner has improved plenty for his run at the Dublin Racing Festival, and Paul Townend was expected to take the ride on Mullins' star for a fourth successive season.

However, Galopin Des Champs took a walk in the Gold Cup exchange betting on Friday, and in the evening, Willie Mullins delivered the bad news during his stable tour with Sporting Life.

"Unfortunately Galopin Des Champs has been ruled out for the rest of the season." Mullins said. "After working very well on Thursday morning he wasn’t right on Friday morning and will miss the Gold Cup and the other spring festivals."

On the back of that bulletin, Gaelic Warrior made his way to the head of the 2026 Gold Cup betting. Mullins former Arkle winner has placed in the King George VI Chase and the Irish Gold Cup this term, and Galopin Des Champs' injury would allow Paul Townend to ride Rich Ricci's eight-year-old in Cheltenham's showpiece event.

Fact To File still tops the NRNB betting with many firms. There was talk of JP McManus supplementing him into the Gold Cup after his victory at the DRF. Yet, Inothewayurthinkin has been heavily backed for the Gold Cup over the past two weeks, after Gavin Cromwell said he was working the house down at home, and it now seems likely that Fact To File will focus on the defence of his Ryanair Chase crown instead.

This is excellent news for anyone who has backed Gaelic Warrior. I put Willie Mullins' star up at 7/1 in my ante-post guide to the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup, which you can read for free on our website.